Mindful of the responsibility The United States of America and the
Russian Federation as co-sponsors of the Middle East peace process, we
believe that there is an opportunity to move away from the current
unacceptable situation of terror and violence towards a resumption of
meaningful negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. We are
agreed that we have to move aggressively to help the parties take
advantage of this opportunity. In the Middle East, neither conflict
nor peace is inevitable. Peace will not come to the Middle East on its
own. We must do all we can for the attainment of peace.

In that spirit, the United States and Russia pledge their maximum
efforts to realize the vision of a negotiated settlement, including two
states, Israel and Palestine, living in peace and security within
recognized borders. This should become part of a comprehensive
settlement of the Arab-Israeli dispute based on UN Security Council
resolutions 242 and 338, the Madrid principles, and the principle of
land for peace, and existing agreements and understandings. We share
these approaches, which were reflected in UN Security Council
resolution 1397.

We reaffirm our unequivocal condemnation of all terrorist acts,
considering terrorism and any form of violence an absolutely
unacceptable means for achieving political goals. At the same time,
recognizing the legitimate right of Israel to fight terrorism, we urge
the Israelis and Palestinians to consider carefully the consequences of
any actions they may take and to work to create and sustain an
environment in which the parties can return to a serious political
dialogue. We urge the parties to move forward on a settlement between
Israel and the Palestinians along the lines of the goals outlined by
the President of the Russian Federation in his March 26 message to the
Arab Summit in Beirut and by the President of the United States at the
UN General Assembly last November and advanced by him in his April 4
statement on the Middle East.

The United States and Russia are encouraged by several recent
signals that have created a window of opportunity: the peaceful
resolution -- with the cooperation of the Israeli government and the
Palestinian Authority -- of the standoffs in Ramallah and Bethlehem and
the recent Israeli withdrawals from Palestinian areas; the Arab
League's endorsement of Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah's initiative; and
the May 12 joint call by the Saudi, Egyptian, and Syrian leaders in
Sharm el-Sheikh for a negotiated solution and an end to all forms of
violence. The Arab states have an essential role to play in the search
for a just peace.

We believe that the parties themselves and the international
community should seize this opportunity by pursuing a comprehensive
strategy that includes the following parallel steps: security and
freedom from terror and violence for both Israelis and Palestinians;
serious and accelerated negotiations leading to a just political
settlement; and efforts to address urgent humanitarian needs and help
promote the rebuilding of strong, accountable, democratic, and
market-oriented institutions as the basis for a vibrant Palestinian
state. This will require vigorous efforts by the Palestinian
leadership and action by all parties concerned to create an environment
in which progress can be made in all the above mentioned directions.

The United States and Russia reaffirm their commitment, expressed
most recently at the April 10 and May 2 meetings of the "Quartet,"
composed of the United States, Russia, European Union, and United
Nations, to undertake all efforts to help Israel and the Palestinian
Authority in the achievement of these goals. We are prepared to
provide humanitarian and economic assistance to the Palestinians at
this time of urgent need. We are also prepared to assist in the
reconstruction of Palestinian institutions, including those of the
Palestinian Authority, in order to lay the foundation of a future
Palestinian state worthy of the Palestinian people and able to live as
a good neighbor in peace with Israel.

The United States and Russia are committed to using an
international meeting this summer to create serious momentum to move
forward on our comprehensive strategy for peace in the Middle East.